Tale of the Five Saiyans
by HyperBlossomNr1
Summary: Heya, welcome to my Dragon Ball Z fanfiction "Tale of the Five Saiyans". It's basically a crossover between the Dragon Ball universe and the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica - as in what would happen if the Saiyans took on the roles of the Puella Magi. All the warnings are listed in the first chapter don't worry.
1. Author's note

**Author's note**

 **Hello, welcome to my Dragon Ball Z fanfiction "Tale of the Five Saiyans". It's basically a crossover between the Dragon Ball universe and the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.**

 **The characters are definitely going to be out of character, as different events have and will shape them into different people.**

 **Feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated. You are welcomed to ask questions – I will answer them as long as they do not reveal important plot details. However, I must ask something of those who are aware of how the Madoka Magica universe works – please do not spoil anything in the comments.**

 **WARNING**

 **THIS STORY CONTAINS AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER AS PART OF THE MAIN CAST, DARK THEMES, VIOLENCE, LANGUEGE, INCESTIOUS UNDERTONES AND MUCH MORE.**

 **This is your chance to go back. If you decide not to, then please sit back and enjoy the Tale of the Five Saiyans.**


	2. The Tale of Kakarot 1

**OH BOY AM I NERVOUS POSTING THIS.  
So yeah hi hello I'm Gabi-chan, been a while since I've posted anything on here sorry 'bout that been busy with this new story I wrote.  
*Cries in Lithuanian* I hope people actually like this...**

It just didn't make sense. His little 9-turning-10-that-day-year-old brain just could not comprehend the question stated in front of him. And he was trying his best, he really was. But no matter what he did, it all ended in failure. Finally, he let out a sigh of defeat as he placed his pen down. Not daring to look up, he called out to the person standing in front of him "…Nii-nii?" "Yeah?" came the immediate reply. The young boy sighed as his forehead met the surface of the table "…I suck at math…"

His brother let out a chuckle as he continued rummaging through their refrigerator "No shit" he smirked back. Kakarot felt himself smile a little "That's another 100 zenni for the swear jar, Nii-nii" "You're gonna bankrupt me, Carrot!" Raditz whined sarcastically as he walked over to his brother. The younger felt a hand on his shoulder "Need some help over there?" "Yes please…" sitting up straight, he showed the problem to the elder. It read '7-x=9'.

Raditz raised an eyebrow "…You're in the fourth grade, right?" "Yeah…" "Then why are you already doing equations with negative numbers?" "Negative what?" Kakarot looked back, completely lost "So you don't know about them?" "N-no… Should I?" he heard his brother chuckle and felt him ruffle his hair "Nah, you'll get to learn them in the fifth or sixth grade I think? Anyway, why are you doing this if you don't know anything about it?" "Well…"

Kakarot looked away, feeling embarrassed "I-I'm failing math class, s-so sensei gave me some extra-credit homework to try and get my grade up…" "Ah, I see" he saw his brother pull out a chair and sit down next to him "Well, this problem in very easy. Just solve it like you would with any other equation – just bring the seven over to the other side, it turns into a negative number and that's pretty much it" "Wait what? Bring it to the other side- turns into a negative number- WHAT?!" now the young boy was completely lost. Nothing his brother said made any sort of sense at all.

Raditz stared at him with a look of confusion on his face "Oh, right! I forgot that you guys still don't do that…" he laughed "Okay, I'll try to explain it in a simpler way, you see-" "Nii-nii…" Kakarot cut him off, letting out a sigh as he was growing impatient "Can you just… tell me the answer?" he said. He really couldn't care less about how it worked – he was nowhere NEAR as good at math as his big brother was… Well, there was nothing to compare – his brother finished school with top marks in almost everything, and Kakarot had the _worst_ marks in pretty much everything…

"Well then, in that case…" he felt relieved that his brother didn't push the subject. Then again, his brother was always very good at telling what the younger was thinking. Listening to the elder's orders, he wrote down '-x=9-7', then '-x=2' and finally 'x=-2'. He didn't understand any of it, but he was just glad that he was finished. He then noticed something… off… "Um… Nii-nii?" "Yeah?" "…Is that pot supposed to be leaking…?" "WHAT?!"

His brother instantly bolted towards the stove "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE NOT AGAIN!" he gasped "Language, Onii-chan!" he gave the elder a pout as he watched him scramble to turn off the stove "Stop trying to bankrupt me while I'm fucking sinking, Carrot!" the elder made a sarcastic cry. The whole scene was pretty comical to the young boy as he laughed slightly "Well then, if I suck at math, guess you suck at cooking, huh, Onii-chan?" he smiled. " _Very_ funny, Carrot…" he couldn't see it, but he imagined that his brother rolled his eyes at him.

"When is dad supposed to get back home?" the younger brother asked as he watched the other pour the water out to the sink "He was _supposed_ to be back like an hour ago, but since he's a workaholic, who the hell knows…" "A… workaholic?" the word was very new to Kakarot "Ah, that's someone who works a lot because he likes it or something like that" "…Does he really like working, though?" "I mean, it's not that he likes it, he just can't _not_ work, you know?" "I… don't get it…"

After receiving a sigh as a reply from the elder, Raditz sat down again, this time in front of the younger brother "Well, that's just the kind of person he is…. You know, 'specially since he's so desperate on giving us both a good life…" the other probably saw the confusion on Kakarot's face, since he smiled and ruffled his hair again "Ah, don't sweat it, you'll get it when you're older…" "But I'm already older!" the younger gave his brother a pout again as he laughed "Oh, right! Completely forgot about that!" "Onii-chan!" he whined, receiving another laugh.

"Kidding, I'm kidding!" Raditz leaned back, a relaxed smile on his face "I just can't believe that my baby brother is growing up so fast…" "I'm not a baby!" "Eh, to me you'll always be my cute little baby brother" he winked "Mou…!" Kakarot folded his arms and looked away. How could his brother say such things?! He was not cute! He was not a baby! He was turning ten! He was practically the same age as his brother now! Well, there was still the eight year difference, but at least they're both in the double digits now! Oh, whatever – at least his dad wouldn't call him a baby when he got back!

Just as he thought that, he heard the lock click "Dad's home!" he clapped his hands, excited "Is that the birthday boy I hear?" he heard the familiar voice reply to him. Not able to control himself, he jumped off the chair and ran over to hug his dad's leg just as he walked into the kitchen "Hey! Slow down there, kiddo!" he laughed "You don't want me to drop your cake, do you?" "Cake?!" Kakarot just now noticed the cake his father was holding up "Hey Raditz, mind taking these off me before I fall over?" "Aww, but this whole scene is just so adorable!" the eldest brother laughed as he did as his father said.

"Can I eat the cake yet? Can I? Can I?" Kakarot couldn't stop jumping in place he was so excited "Not yet, Carrot" Bardock chuckled softly as he ruffled the young boy's hair "We can celebrate when we get back" "Aww…" he was very disappointed with his father's reply. Did they really have to go hunting on his birthday? Wait… Dad wasn't going out alone? "Ready, Raditz?" "Yup!" his brother rubbed his hands together, seemingly excited.

Realization struck the youngest family member "What?! No!" he quickly clung onto his brother's leg, looking up at him "Don't go, Nii-nii! You're gonna get hurt!" he cried. His brother only laughed "Don't worry, kiddo! I'll be fine!" he winked "Besides, I want to check out what demon hunting is actually like before I make a contract" Kakarot froze as soon as he heard those words. His brother… his own big brother was planning on becoming a Saiyan…?! "NO!" he hugged his leg, not even thinking of letting him go anytime soon. How could Raditz even THINK about making a contract?! Then he'd be just like dad – always home late, never spending time with him and always so tired! He didn't want that!

"Hey, hey, hey! Why the crying, Carrot?" the younger brother just now realized the tears running down his cheeks. Well this was embarrassing… But if that's what needs to be done to keep his brother from becoming a Saiyan, then so be it! "I-I just don't want Nii-nii to be as busy as dad is…" he hiccupped. His brother's hand on his head didn't seem to be helping in calming him down. "Yeesh, Carrot… Really? _That's_ what you're so worried about?" Raditz laughed as he continued petting his brother "Listen, if me and dad are both Saiyans, then we'd get through hunting twice as fast!" the younger listened to the explanation. Well, it did make sense… Hey, if that was true, then dad would finally be able to spend some time with them!

"Will you let me go now?" "…Okay…" he sniffled as he complied with the other's request "But be back soon, okay…?" this time, his father was the one who reassured him "I'll make sure we're back by 10, don't worry" he said. "Promise…?" Bardock nodded and gave his son a reassuring pat on the head "I promise, Carrot. We'll be back safe and sound" Kakarot watched as they walked out. He sighed and sat back down. He glanced at the clock – it was 8 p.m. That brought a smile to his face – hey, at least he doesn't have to wait that long! Now, what could he do to pass the time? He definitely needed to get out of the kitchen so that he wouldn't get tempted to eat that cake! Too bad there was nothing good on TV tonight… And he couldn't use his brother's laptop, since he doesn't know the password…

Oh, what to do, what to do… The young boy suddenly smiled as he clapped his hands together and ran to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, he grabbed his sketch book from the table. Gripping his pencil, he began a new drawing. At least there was one thing he was skilled at (well, other than physical activities)! Arts and crafts were always one of his favorite classes in school. He remembered his teacher always praising him for his drawings… Well, when he was drawing when he was supposed to be drawing. He smiled as he remembered how fond his family was of the picture he drew of them – it was even hung on the fridge for all to see!

But really, the more he looked at it, the more the young boy realized that the drawing wasn't that good… He could do better, he really could! Smiling and nodding to himself Kakarot began drawing. He was excited beyond all belief – he was going to surprise his whole family with this picture when they get back from demon hunting! He will do everything in his power to make this look good! He'll make sure to not color outside the edges, he'll make a nice background, heck, maybe he'll even do that 'shading' thingy he heard the big kids talking about at school!

He didn't even realize how fast time can fly by when you're so busy! Really, how did he not notice that it was past 10 already? He happily clapped his hands together as he looked at his drawing. Perfect! The best he's ever done! Now all he had to do was hang that picture up and wait for his dad and Onii-chan to get back home! But the younger's good mood vanished as soon as he looked at the clock on the wall. It was past 10, he realized. _"They said they'd be back by now…"_ he frowned _"Maybe I should call Onii-chan and ask him…"_

Kakarot had his own cell-phone. Even though it was his brother's old flip-phone, he liked it. It wasn't as confusing as some of his classmates' phones… The younger quickly found his Onii-chan's number and called it. He waited. And waited. And waited. But nobody answered. He was getting scared now. What was taking them so long?! They should've been back by now! Dad promised that, didn't he…?

He was now panicking. His vision was getting blurry at the thought of his Onii-chan and Oto-san in trouble… Why did something like this have to happen today? It was his birthday! Kakarot glanced at a photo on the wall. There were three people in the framed picture.

Well, this wouldn't be the first time something bad happened on his birthday…

He knew that his mom's name was Gine. He also knew that she died after he was born. He also found out that his dad became very sad after her death. Is… is something like that gonna happen today, too?!

"N-no!" the young boy hugged himself "I-I don't want them t-to get hurt..!" he sobbed. He didn't want to lose his Onii-chan and his Oto-san! He didn't want to be all by himself… He was terrified of being alone! Kakarot reached out for his phone. Maybe he could try calling them again?

He froze when he heard the lock click.

He quickly ran over to the front door, a big smile on his face "Onii-chan! Oto-san!" he was so relieved "You're back! What took you so lon-" he froze in place as soon as he saw his elder brother standing in the doorway. What were those clothes he was wearing? Why was he holding a spear? Why… why was he covered in blood?!

"R… Raditz…?" Kakarot asked with his tiny voice "Where's… Where's dad…?" his brother looked at him. His eyes were red. Was… was he crying? The elder shook his head slowly as he locked the door behind him and started to walk past the young boy.

Their father was dead.

Kakarot broke down crying as soon as he understood that. He covered his face as the tears rolled down his cheeks "W-why..?" he hiccupped "W-why did d-dad h-have to l-leave?!" he cried "H-he p-promised… H-he promised that h-he'd come back!" This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. "O-Onii-chan…" Kakarot tried to brush the tears away as he looked back at his brother "A-are… a-are y-you g-gonna leave… l-like m-mom and dad d-did…?"

Raditz froze in place as soon as the young said those words. He saw his shoulders begin to tremble. The Saiyan turned around and pulled his little brother into a hug. Raditz almost never hugged him. But Kakarot couldn't care less about that as he gladly returned the hug, crying into the elder's chest. Why… why was he so cold…? Well, at least the fabric of his clothes was comforting...

"Don't be silly, Carrot…" his brother forced a laugh "Why would I ever leave…?" he pulled away and smiled as he gently pet the young boy "I have a little brother to take care of, after all…" "P-promise..?" Kakarot said as he tried to wipe the tears away from his eyes "P-promise t-that you w-won't leave…?" Raditz nodded "I promise, Kakarot…"

* * *

It's been about a week, the young boy could recall. His brother was out demon hunting, leaving Kakarot alone in their home, sitting in the living room, refusing to go to sleep. He felt so tired. His eyelids felt as if they weighed a ton, but he couldn't just go to sleep! What if he woke up and it turned out that Raditz never came home?! He'd much rather sit here and wait…

But his young body couldn't handle being up this late… No matter how hard the younger tried to fight it, his body collapsed onto the sofa as his eyes closed. "Onii-chan…" he muttered as he drifted off to sleep.

Kakarot found himself in a weird place. It was dark. And it was hard to breathe. The young boy tried to walk, but it was difficult. The floor was making a weird squishy sound and it seemed as if the younger was walking through something akin to quicksand. There were whispers around him. Were they… laughing at him…?

Suddenly everything lit up as Kakarot felt a huge gust of wind blow him back. He landed on his butt. The ground began to drag him down. The younger panicked as he tried to get up. He heard a scream. A loud, inhuman, animalistic scream. Kakarot looked up and almost screamed himself. There was a monster there! W-was that an alien?! It was green a-and it had two antennas on its head – what else could it be?!

Kakarot was about to scream for help when he saw his brother charge towards the monster out of the corner of his eye. He watched with fear as his brother fought the green alien-like creature. Raditz was losing. He was getting hurt and the monster didn't even have a scratch on it! He was about to call out to his brother – maybe he could find out what was going on?

Just as he tried to call out to him, the monster opened its mouth and Kakarot watched in horror as it closed around his brother. I-it… The monster ate his brother! "N-NO!" the young boy screamed "O-ONII-CHAN!" the monster turned its attention towards Kakarot. His eyes widened in horror as he tried to back away, but to no avail. The monster started to crawl towards him and the young boy let out a scream of pure terror as he tried to call out for his brother.

"ONII-CHAN!" Kakarot woke up with a start, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, his whole body trembling. He looked around. He was still on the sofa, but the lights and TV were off, and there was a blanket covering him, not to mention the pillow under his head… "R-Raditz…?" he stood up and looked around. He heard something in the bathroom. He cautiously made his way towards the door – it was ajar. Peeking in, he saw his brother over the sink, staring at his reflection. Relieved, the young boy opened the door "Raditz! You're back!"

He froze as soon as his brother turned to him. There was a huge gash on his forehead and he was bleeding. The younger screamed, terrified "C-Carrot, i-it's okay!" Raditz tried to calm him down. He was holding a weird green gem in his hand – a Soul Gem, Kakarot remembered his brother calling it – as he brought his left one over his wound. The gem began to emit a green glow. He brother hissed, but pulled his hand away from his wound. It seemed to have healed a little… "S-see?" he forced a smile "I-I can heal myself, I-I just need some time..."

"Do…" Kakarot gulped "D-Do you need any help…?" "Y-yeah, actually… I'm not that good at healing, so I need some help stopping the bleeding…" "O-okay… W-what do you n-need me to do?" the younger stuttered out. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the wound. "I think I need a clean cloth pressed firmly against the wound… And I'm pretty sure I need to be lying down, come to think of it…" he laughed. It never seized to amaze the younger how his brother could laugh anything off…

He ran over to the kitchen, grabbed a cloth and washed it as best as he could. He found his brother lying down on the sofa, his hand over his wound and that weird glowing gem in his other hand. Slipping the cloth under his hand, the younger pressed down "I-is this okay..?" "Yeah, I think so…" opening his eyes, Raditz looked down at the gem "Okay… Now all I have to do is actually figure out how to heal serious wounds…"

"Is… is that a Soul Gem..?" Kakarot asked "Yeah… This thing lets me transform into a Saiyan… It's also supposed to help me heal myself…" the younger kept quiet. He was too worried over his brother to actually hear his explanation. Really, he only asked because he wanted to make sure his brother was still thinking and not hallucinating or something like that. He didn't want to know what that thing did. That Soul Gem thing took away his dad from him by making him a Saiyan… And now it was trying to take his brother away as well!

His brother must've noticed his worried expression. He gave him a warm smile "Carrot, don't worry about me… I'll manage to figure this out one way or another…" "…Why did you make a contract, Raditz..?" his brother went pale "…I had to, Kakarot…" he then let out a sigh "If I hadn't… I wouldn't have even made it back that night… I would've been killed…" "…By the same thing that killed dad…?" "…Yeah… That demon would've killed me… Just as it killed dad…"

* * *

Kakarot sighed as he took a step back and looked at the canvas. The empty canvas, that is. He couldn't find any inspiration to draw. He glanced at the clock on the wall. His brother should be back soon. The young fourteen-year-old crossed his arms as he sat down on the sofa, frowning. It felt weird not having to go to school anymore... Well, it's not like they could afford Kakarot going to school… And Raditz had to drop out of college so he could support both of them… The younger couldn't help but blame himself for this… If he could take care of himself better, his brother wouldn't have to work as a waiter and Kakarot wouldn't have to be a freelance painter.

He sighed… If he was a Saiyan too, his brother wouldn't have to worry about him so much! He would learn to take care of himself! But he knew Raditz was very much oppose to that idea… But why? Really… Every time he asked, his brother would just say that it's too dangerous and that he would end up dead like their dad… But really, by that logic his brother shouldn't be a Saiyan either! He needed to ask again, really. Maybe he could convince him to at least take him demon hunting?

He heard the lock click. He ran over and saw his brother, no wounds or bruises _"Guess it was an easy hunt today…"_ "Heya, Nii-chan!" he smiled. "You're still up?" the elder laughed as he messed the younger's hair up even more "Having another late night painting session?" he shook his head, seemingly disappointed "Really, you should be asleep, Carrot" "I'm not a kid anymore, Raditz!" Kakarot crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks. "Yeah, _sure_ you aren't" the elder winked.

"Welp, I'm off to bed. Busy day tomorrow" just as the elder walked past him, Kakarot grabbed his arm "Wait, Onii-chan…" "Kakarot, if this is about demon hunting again…" "At least take me hunting _once_! Please!" "Kakarot…" "You're always talking about how 'dangerous' it is, but how am I supposed to believe you?!" "WHAT?!" Kakarot flinched at the yelling. He always felt intimidated when his brother shouted at him, but he wouldn't let it get to him this time!

"Need I remind you what happened to dad?!" Raditz growled "Who's to say that something like that can't happen to you?!" "I'm not asking for your permission to become a Saiyan, Raditz!" Kakarot shot back "I just want you to take me demon hunting with you!" just as Raditz was about to tell him no – the younger was sure of that – Kakarot tried one last method to try and convince his elder brother "Just this once! So I could see just how dangerous it really is?" he put his hands together, tilted his head and made the best Puppy-Dog Eyes he could muster "Please, Nii-Nii?"

Raditz stared at him for a moment. He then sighed as he pressed his palm to his face "Why the Puppy-Dog Eyes, Carrot…" he whined "You know I can't win against those Puppy-Dog Eyes..!" Raditz finally sighed "Alright, fine… I'll take you demon hunting tomorrow. Happy?" "Yes!" Kakarot cheered as he pulled his brother into a hug "Thank you, Onii-chan!" "Yeah, sure…" Raditz seemed quite dismissive as he pushed the younger away "You won't be thanking me tomorrow…" he muttered as he began walking away.

When the next day came, Kakarot couldn't contain his excitement. "Ready, Onii-chan?" his brother sighed in response "Yeah, sure…" he raised an eyebrow "You seem excited…" he noted as he locked the door. Kakarot nodded as he followed his brother outside of the apartment building. "Of course I am! I can finally see what's so dangerous about demon hunting" "Oh, there are a few things, actually. You know, the whole dying part is something to worry about" the younger brother clearly noticed the bitterness in the elder's voice, but decided to ignore it.

He saw Raditz lift up his right hand and a Soul Gem formed over the ring on his middle finger. The green gem began to glow as a strange circular platform formed over it. There were weird patterns on it, too… And while Kakarot struggled to make any sense of it, Raditz seemed to be very focused "What… is that?" "A map" "W-what's it for?" "It shows me where the demons can be found" the young brother stared, confused "How do you understand any of that…?" Raditz shrugged "You just learn after a while…"

He suddenly stopped walking. He was staring at his Soul Gem. He seemed confused. Kakarot looked around. He recognized this part of town… They were near the construction site where they were building a new apartment complex. "Huh, weird…" "What is?" the younger asked. Raditz looked at the soon-to-be building, frowning "A demon just appeared there…" "I-is that not how that works?" "Not usually, no…" Raditz shook his head as he started walking towards the construction site "Most of the time I just find a trail of negative energy and follow it to a demon… Never actually seen one just appear…"

Raditz turned around and raised an eyebrow "Aren't you coming?" "U-umm… i-isn't that a restricted area?" "Your point?" the elder brother chuckled "It's not like anyone's gonna be here at this time at night, Carrot… And besides, I'm a Saiyan - it's my job to kill demons, 'member?" "I guess so…" Kakarot said hesitantly as he followed his brother into the building. The street lights didn't reach them anymore, so now the only light illuminating this dark place was the green glow from the Soul Gem in Raditz's hand, so Kakarot stayed close to him.

The elder brother stopped walking as he looked up at the wall they were facing. "Um… Raditz…? You seem a bit confused here…" "This is the entry point to the labyrinth" "L-Labyrinth?" "Yeah. It's a place where a demon resides" he hid the Soul Gem in the ring again as he grabbed Kakarot's hand "Let's go" he said as he walked into the labyrinth with his brother. The younger noticed how cold the other's hand was. He couldn't really figure out why… It was cold outside, sure, but why wasn't Kakarot cold then, too?

He looked around. This was a strange place he found himself in… It was dark... Were they in a jungle? Well, this was one weird jungle… The ground was a weird dark blue color and the sky was green… Were they still at the construction site? Kakarot could still see beams here and there… "Yeah, this demon was just born…" Raditz stated as he walked. It was hard for the younger to keep up, especially since the ground was like quicksand it was so hard to walk… This seemed vaguely familiar, actually… "How can you tell?" Kakarot asked.

"Well, the labyrinth hasn't finished forming, and since those eggs aren't hatched, there are no familiars around..." Wait, eggs?! The younger looked around and indeed he saw eggs everywhere. He thought he heard laughing coming from them. He shivered as he tried to stay close to his brother "Guess we got lucky tonight" Raditz chuckled. Kakarot only nodded. He couldn't figure out what to say anymore. He felt scared. He felt as if he'd been here before, but that was impossible! This was the first time he's even been in a labyrinth…

He suddenly got a face full of hair as Raditz stopped walking. "H-Hey, what gives?" Kakarot asked. "I found the demon" he blankly stated. "W-what?!" noticing that they were standing on the edge of a cliff, he looked down and froze in place at the sight. "S-so that's a demon…" he gulped. It was a giant green alien-like creature. It seemed to be sprouting out of the ground as its lower half was completely missing… Those green antennas on its head seemed so familiar, but he just couldn't place it… "Well, one of the demons" his brother's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "O-one of them?" "Yup. There are many demons. And all of them are different…"

His brother took a step forward as he placed his right hand over his chest. A bright green glow emitted from the ring as he transformed into a Saiyan. The younger brother watched in awe is the elder summoned a spear in his right hand. Suddenly, multiple chains appear around Kakarot, caging him in. "Don't be scared. I just made a barrier around you" Raditz immediately said "This will keep anything bad from happening to you. Now just sit back and watch…" gripping the spear, Raditz jumped down to face the demon.

As he watched his brother fight, Kakarot still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been here before… But that was impossible! He had never been in a barrier before, and this was the first time he saw his brother fighting! He hugged himself upon the realization that his brother was losing the fight. He was covered in wounds already, and the demon wasn't even hurt! His brother was in the air after jumping off of the demon's head. Maybe he was getting ready to slash it in half? Wait… Was the demon opening its mouth?!

"RADITZ!" Kakarot screamed out as he watched in horror how the jaws closed around his brother. No! No no no! This couldn't be happening! This had to be a bad dream! Dream… Dream! He remembered now! He had a dream about this once! "R-Raditz…" the younger brother felt his knees give out as he collapsed, the barrier around him long gone. Hugging himself, the younger cried. He'd lost his mother. He'd lost his father. And now he's lost his brother.

He was all alone now.

"O-Onii-chan…" he hiccupped "I-I'm s-sorry… I-I'm such a-an i-idiot... I-I… I-I don't w-want to be a-alone, Onii-chan…" he cried "I-I… I wish I-I could s-save y-you…" "You still can" he heard a voice behind him. Startled, the young boy looked around. He noticed a small green dragon sitting on the ground. Letting out a scream, he stumbled back "There's no need to be afraid, Kakarot" he said "I am Shenron. I know a way to save your brother"

"W-what?! R-really?! How?!" Kakarot quickly sat up and wiped away his tears "Simple" the small dragon blinked, his whiskers seemingly moving on their own "Make a contract with me to become a Saiyan, and you can save your brother" "W-what…? What do you mean? How do I make a contract?!" "I can grant you one wish. And in return, you become a Saiyan and battle the demons that plague this world" "O-okay!" Kakarot said without a second of doubt. This was it! This was how he could finally help his Onii-chan!

"Splendid!" the dragon blinked "Now, what is the wish you want granted, Kakarot?" "My wish… I…" he stood up. Although his knees were shaking, he stood strong and wiped the remaining tears from his face "S-save him… I-I wish… I wish to save Onii-chan!" he said, confidently. After that he felt nothing but pain. An unbearable pain in his stomach. He let out a scream as he felt something tearing out from inside of him. He managed to open his eyes. He was surrounded by a strangely comforting light. He saw a yellow glowing gem in front of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard Shenron urging him to accept the light into his body. Kakarot unconsciously reached out and cupped the light in his hands. The light blinded him again.

He stumbled about, but somehow managed to regain his sense of balance. The young Saiyan opened his eyes and noticed the strange outfit he was wearing. Yes, he was indeed a Saiyan now. In his hands were two double-edged swords. He looked at the demon. Gulping down as much of his fear as he could, the younger jumped down to face the demon. Without thinking Kakarot dashed towards the demon and sliced at its neck, hoping that it would damage it enough for Raditz to break free. What he didn't expect was the whole head falling off.

Failing to land gracefully, the younger looked back and was relieved to see his brother had gotten free. He seemed angry as he summoned many chains to trap the demon. He then jumped up and slashed the demon in half. A huge gust of wind blew the younger back as everything was consumed with smoke, an ear-piercing scream ringing in his head. When the smoke cleared, he saw that the labyrinth was gone and his brother was picking up something from the ground where the demon was.

"Sorry about that, Kakarot…" the elder let out a sigh "Wasn't expecting that, honestly…" he let out a bitter chuckle. "Alright, Carrot, let's get back home…" the elder turned back to his brother and the smile instantly faced. He stared at his brother with a shocked expression. Kakarot happily ran over to his brother "Raditz! I made a contract, look!" he brought his hands to his chest as he gave him a warm smile "I was so worried when that demon almost killed you, s-so I just made a wish to save you! Now we can both go demon hunting togethe-"

A loud slap rang out in the empty construction area. The young Saiyan fell down. He slowly looked up at his brother only to meet his anger filled gaze. Kakarot brought his hand up to his burning cheek, tears welling up in his eyes. How could he do that? Raditz had never hit him before. " YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" he felt tears rolling down his cheeks "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

"NOW YOU'RE A SAIYAN. NOW YOU'LL RISK YOUR LIFE EVERY FUCKING DAY OUT ON THE STREETS FIGHTING THESE GODDAMN DEMONS. DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN END UP LIKE DAD?! THAT YOU CAN END UP DEAD?! AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S THE BEST FUCKING PART?! NOBODY WOULD EVEN FIND YOUR BODY SINCE IT WOULD JUST DISAPPEAR IN THAT FUCKING LABYRINTH!" "I-I don't care about that, Raditz!" Kakarot shot back at him. He slowly stood up, his knees shaking "I don't care what'll happen to me, Raditz! Do you have any idea how scared I've been these years?!" his voice was cracking, but he couldn't care less "Every night I was sitting at home TERRIFIED that one night you might not come back! That I would end up all alone..!"

"I-I've been so scared, Raditz…" his vision was so blurry. He tried to brush the tears away "I-I don't want to end up all alone, Raditz… I-I'm so scared of being alone…" he cried. "Carrot…" the younger Saiyan gasped as he was pulled into a hug "Just shut up…" he heard his brother sob "I just don't want to lose you, Kakarot… I-I don't want you to end up like dad…" bringing up his trembling hands to hug him, the younger brother cried into the elder's shoulder "I-I won't, O-Onii-chan… Y-You'll p-protect me… right…?" "Yeah… I will… I promise, Carrot…"

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	3. The Tale of Kakarot 2

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kakarot let out a scream of pure terror as he plummeted down to his doom "ONIIIIIIIIIIIII-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" he screamed out, hoping to be saved before painfully colliding with the group of familiars below. Gripping his sword, the young Saiyan tried to concentrate enough to form a platform to stop himself from falling. However, the fear of certain death seemed to stop him from being able to use any type of magic.

Right before hitting the ground, Kakarot felt someone grab him. Opening his eyes he saw his brother holding him in his arms while running away from the group of familiars that would've surely killed the young boy "Goddammit Kakarot I thought I told you to be careful!" Raditz huffed as he placed his sibling on the ground "I-I'm sorry!" he tried to apologize "I-I just lost control of my magic..." "It's okay, just..." the elder sighed as he gripped his spear, glaring at the demon "Look, just take care of these familiars. We'll talk about this later" he stated. He started to spin the spear around in his hands. Kakarot took a step back as he watched green flames emit from the weapon his brother was holding. "SATURDAY CRASH!" Raditz yelled out as he dashed forward.

Kakarot watched in awe as his brother plowed through numerous familiars, easily making his way towards the ginormous turtle-like demon. Letting out a sigh, the young Saiyan gripped his sword, trying to focus his magic. _"I wonder if I can make a special attack like Onii-chan..."_ staring at the familiars in front of him, an idea suddenly came to him. Smiling to himself, the younger created four more swords around him. _"I hope this works..!"_

"KA..." Kakarot threw the sword he was holding in his hand with all his might towards one of the turtle's familiars, piercing its body and killing it instantly. Surprised at how strong he is while transformed, the young Saiyan grabbed one of the swords he summoned and threw it as well "ME..." killing another one of the familiars, Kakarot repeated the same process two more times "HA... ME..." grabbing the fifth and last sword, he took a deep breath as he jumped back, doing a backflip in the process. He felt his feet make contact with the platform he managed to make behind him. Kakarot bounced off of it with all his might as he charged forward "HA!"

Kakarot felt the air zoom past him as he killed many familiars in his path. Of course, since he was still a rookie at fighting demons, he eventually crashed and hit the ground. Painfully, he might add. Coughing up sand, he quickly stood up. He spun around and almost froze as he stared on at the destruction he'd caused. "Whoa..." he breathed out at the sight of the empty path he'd created with dead familiars slowly dissipating to dust.

Now hyped on adrenaline, Kakarot charged forward, dual wielding his double-edged swords. He swung them, slicing and dicing at the familiars, killing many of them in the process. He was having so much fun! He was so much stronger while transformed... He was faster and more agile, too... Suddenly, he felt a huge gust of wind hit him as an ear-piercing scream rung through the air. Covering his ears, Kakarot glanced over to the demon to see that his brother had defeated it. He smiled as the labyrinth disappeared around them.

"Well, that could've gone better..." Raditz let out a sigh as he walked over to his brother. He brought a hand up to his chest. His soul gem began emitting a green glow and Kakarot saw his brother transform back to normal quickly after that. The young Saiyan grimaced as he attempted to do the same, placing a hand on his stomach. The elder tilted his head, seemingly confused "You... having trouble over there, Carrot...?" "A little, yeah..." he felt his face turning red as he looked away. He felt so embarrassed that he couldn't even manage to transform back...

Luckily, Raditz didn't seem to be mad at the younger. Instead of getting annoyed, he smiled "You need to calm down, first of all. Focus all your magic towards your hand over your soul gem and try to force it into a single spot." Hearing the explanation, the younger Saiyan nodded. He knew that his brother had said this before, but it always felt nice to hear the elder's supporting words. He took a deep breath and tried to do as his brother told him. He felt as if a gentle silk sheet passed over his skin as the magic formed into a ring on his middle finger. It felt strange, but at the same time comforting.

"I gotta say, you did pretty well out there today, Carrot" Raditz smiled as he picked up the grief seed off the ground. "No I didn't..." Kakarot sighed "I lost control of my magic again..." "It's not surprising, really... You've only been doing this for a week, after all" the elder put his hands in his pockets as he began walking home, his brother following soot. "That being said... I noticed that you've already created a special attack for yourself" he laughed. The younger tilted his head, confused "Well... Yeah...? I mean, you shouted 'Saturday crash', and it was a really cool attack!"

Raditz chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair, blushing slightly "Kakarot, you don't need to make up an attack name... It doesn't impact the power of it at all, really..." "Eh? Then why did you do it..?" "Ahah... Let's not talk about that..." he smiled as he ruffled the younger's hair. "B-But you looked so cool while doing it!" Kakarot puffed his cheeks, protesting "How come you're so good at this Saiyan thing?" his brother laughed again "I've been doing this for four years, Carrot... You just get better over time, really..."

"Well, I guess I also got some help from some friends of mine as well..." "Eh?" Kakarot tilted his head, curious "What kind of friends?" a wide smile then spread over his face "Can they help me get as strong as you, too? Can I meet them?" "Eh, if we go hunting in their territory, we might see them." The younger went silent. He was a bit confused. Territories? What was that supposed to meet? His brother must have noticed his confusion, since he smiled again "Let me explain..."

"You see, it's an unwritten rule between us Saiyans that the city is divided into four... districts, let's call it. We say it's a rule because it's considered impolite to go hunting in another Saiyan's territory and they pretty much have the right to kick you out of there by force. Me and you are in the South district. The demons here are pretty random, honestly. They can be pretty weak but they can also be dangerously tough. You following me so far?" "Uh... I think so..." Kakarot said. "So there are three more districts? And the demons are different in each one?" "Bingo" his brother smiled.

"Opposite of us is the North. From what I've heard, it's a pretty docile area, nothing really happens over there. The demons tend to be pretty weak, so the Saiyans over there are pretty friendly, but inexperienced. Us Southern Saiyans are pretty similar as in we're all fairly nice to one another. I mean I can't speak for all of us, but that's the general stereotype. Next is the West. The demons there are tough, as are the Saiyans. I've also noticed that they're mostly cold and prefer to work alone..." he shrugged. Kakarot listened to his brother talk and he could almost feel his head hurting from all this new information he was absorbing into his brain.

"And the East... Well..." Raditz frowned as he looked down at his brother "Whatever you do, do NOT go there. The demons there are incredibly strong, and the Saiyans are no better... All of the Saiyans I've met over there are very territorial and stuck-up and just plain assholes... Especially those twins..." Raditz growled. Kakarot let out a sigh as he grabbed his head "Jeez... There's more to this Saiyan thing that I thought..." Raditz let out a chuckle as he ruffled the younger's hair once again "Well, to be fair, I told you not to make a contract, didn't I?" "Well...Yeah, but... shut up..." Kakarot felt his cheeks burning. And of course, his brother teased him over that while they walked home.

* * *

"GODDAMMIT I HATE THESE THINGS!" Raditz let out a cry of rage as he tried to stop the demon from running any further. Now, while his brother had the luxury of having super speed, Kakarot only had the option of running as fast as he could while trying to keep the platforms from disappearing. The ground under them was almost like acid, so the younger figured it'd be best to not fall. But even though he was feeling tired and could barely manage to keep up, he was just having so much fun! "I never knew demons could run like this!" he breathed out.

"Yeah well they can. And they're annoying!" his brother growled as he attacked the runaway demon. Kakarot noticed that they weren't doing that much damage, and he started to get worried. "U-uh... Onii-chan..? You're hitting that thing, right?" "Well no shit! What does it look like I'm doing?!" "It looks like that demon isn't even flinching..." Kakarot threw his sword at it, hoping to at least stab it. His sword just bounced off and fell into the pool of acid down below.

"Goddammit this thing's though!" Raditz yelled in frustration as his attack only managed to scratch the armor of the demon. Kakarot was about to ask his brother if he had any sort of plan, but, suddenly, dark blue chains manifested around the demon and tied its legs together, making it fall over. The young Saiyan stopped running and saw his brother jump onto the yellow platform he was standing on. Suddenly, countless silver riffles appeared around it, firing at the demon on the ground. Kakarot gulped as he heard it scream in pain "Always a show off..." his brother sighed.

A man suddenly appeared in front of them. Kakarot noticed that he was flying. _"Another Saiyan...?"_ he thought. The man turned around to the two brothers. He seemed to be angry "The hell are you doing over here, Raditz?" he asked. Kakarot instinctively took a step back, trying to hide behind his brother. To his surprise, the elder didn't seem to be intimidated at all as he spoke casually "Heh, sorry about that. The thing appeared in our side of the city, but since it was a runaway..." he chuckled "Well, you know..." The bearded man let out a sigh as he summoned another riffle in his hand. Kakarot noticed how it was silver with dark blue patterns all over it, similar to the ones on his black coat. He also noted the top hat with the dark blue diamond-shaped soul gem on the man's head.

"That part I get..." the elder Saiyan suddenly lifted the riffle up as it broke down into the same chains that were restraining the demon. They expanded and finally formed into what seemed to be a gigantic canon. Kakarot was shocked at how casual the other two Saiyans seemed to be. "What I don't get is why you're trying to kill a demon that's way out of your league!" the man then pointed the weapon at the demon "Bomber DX!" Kakarot saw how the huge blast of dark blue magic killed the demon in a single blow. The shocked expression didn't leave his face even when the labyrinth disappeared around them.

When Kakarot felt his feet touch the concrete ground, he quickly hid himself behind his brother, hoping the blue Saiyan didn't notice him. His brother laughed, leaning against his spear as he spoke "Since when does Nappa shout out his attacks? I thought you said doing that was stupid" "It still is" the man stated. "Lemme guess. You just wanted to show off, didn't you?" "Watch your tone, Raditz..." Kakarot flinched when he heard the man growl. He was obviously much stronger than them – how was his brother so calm? He probably met him before...

The man named Nappa suddenly let out a laugh "Wow, that kid behind you really scares easily, doesn't he?" Kakarot felt all the color drain from his face when he heard that. Oh no... "Eh?" his brother stepped to the side, confused, as he looked at the younger Saiyan. Kakarot wasted no time as he grabbed onto the back of his brother's clothes and hid behind him once again, whimpering slightly. He hated to admit it, but he was terrible at interacting with new people... "Carrot, you don't need to be scared of Nappa" Raditz laughed "He's not gonna hurt you..." "I will if you two don't get back to the South" the elder chuckled. That certainly didn't help in calming Kakarot down...

"Wow, he looks exactly like Bardock..." The younger's eyelids flew open as he peeked out from behind his brother to actually look at the man. He seemed relaxed with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Gulping down his fear, Kakarot tilted his head as he asked "Y-You knew dad...?" "Yeah, I did..." Nappa sighed as he glanced to the side "We were sort of like... partners... back in the day..." he then looked over at the youngest Saiyan in the group "You're Kakarot, right?" "U-um... y-yes... h-how d-did you know..?" "I remember your father telling me that they were going to name you that..." Nappa shrugged.

"Anyway..." the man pulled out a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Kakarot frowned at this. He remembered his dad used to smoke as well... Both of the sons hated that. Even now Kakarot can't stand the smell of smoke "Raditz, your brother is pretty shit at controlling his powers" he blew out a puff of smoke "He only made a contract a week ago, you know..." Raditz sighed "I'd like to train him, but I just don't have the time for that... The fact that our powers are so different doesn't help either..." "That so...?" Nappa raised an eyebrow. In all honesty, Kakarot was feeling a bit offended that they were talking about him like that – as if he wasn't even there...

"I can train him for you, if you want" Nappa said. Both of the brothers were taken aback by this "W-what? Really?!" Raditz seemed to be much more excited over the idea than the younger Saiyan was... "Holy shit, man, you have no idea how much I'd appreciate that..." Nappa chuckled and then winked "Hook me up with a few free meals over at that café of yours and I'd say we're even" they laughed.

"So what do you say, kid?" When Kakarot was asked that, he at first wanted to decline. He didn't trust this man named Nappa... He wanted to train with his brother, not with him! But he then noticed Raditz looking down at him, smiling. Well... His brother _did_ say he's been busy with work... And if a Saiyan as strong and Nappa would train him, he'd actually be able to help his brother out while hunting... Sighing, Kakarot nodded "O-Okay..." "Great. Meet me at the junkyard tomorrow at 12 p.m." he dropped the cigarette on the ground and stomped out the flames "Have fun getting back home, you two" he then turned around and started to walk off.

Kakarot felt his brother messing up his hair "Don't worry, Nappa's one of the strongest Saiyans I know. He helped me get the hang of my powers too, you know" the younger Saiyan looked up at the other, surprised. "Eh? R-Really?" well, Raditz _did_ mention about his friends helping him become as strong as he is... Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all...? "Yup" his brother's voice snapped him out of his thoughts "Now let's go find out where the hell we wound up at..." Kakarot let out a sigh at that "Does this always happen when you chase after a runaway demon...?" "Yeah, pretty much" his brother laughed "We'd get home faster if I run. C'mon, I'll give you a piggy-back ride" he smiled. Kakarot felt his face turn red "E-eh?! I'm not a kid anymore, Raditz!" the only reply he got was his brother's laugh.

* * *

'Are you sure you can't be here with me? :'('

Kakarot sighed as he put his phone in his pocked after sending the message to his brother. He couldn't help but feel nervous walking around this part of city. He'd never been there before, the only reason he knew where to go was because he was good at following the elder's instructions. Kakarot was glad that it was nice outside, at least... Well, then again, it was the beginning of June - of course it'd be warm. His phone vibrated, alerting him that his brother replied.

'Carrot, I got work to do'

'I'm real sorry, but if I leave early again I'll be fired'

Kakarot frowned. Guess he was alone on this one...

'Will you at least come pick me up?'

His brother replied almost instantly.

'Of course!'

'Sry, but I gtg. Ttyl'

Kakarot was slightly taken aback at the abbreviations. His brother never used those... _"Something probably came up..."_ he figured. He finally arrived at the entrance to the junkyard. Checking his phone one last time, he saw that it was almost 12 p.m... He felt nervous as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He wasn't sure where to go now... Raditz was busy, so there was no use in contacting him... And he didn't have Nappa's phone number either... Kakarot let out a frustrated sigh "Now what do I do...?" he muttered to himself.

"Now you just follow me" the young Saiyan jumped and spun around only to see Nappa walking up to him "Glad to see that you're on time, unlike a certain brother of yours..." the man chuckled, walking past the other Saiyan. "C'mon, I know a secluded area where we can train in peace" Kakarot gulped as he followed. He was very aware of the ring on his right hand's middle finger. He could feel the magic emitting from it, running through his veins. For a moment he thought that he wasn't completely helpless, but just glancing at the man in front of him reminded him that if they were to fight, Nappa would be the clear winner.

"How long have you been a Saiyan for again?" "E-eh?" Kakarot was surprised at the sudden question. He immediately felt his face turn red from the fact that his voice cracked from the fear. Nappa definitely knew the younger one was scared now... "U-Um... A-A week..." "Do you always stutter like that?" he heard the man chuckle. He then glanced back to look at him, smiling slightly "You've got nothing to worry about, Kakarot. I'm not gonna hurt you. Pretty sure Raditz would tear my head off before I could even try" he chuckled.

"E-eh? Would Onii-chan really do that?" Kakarot was a bit taken aback by this. He knew Raditz was strong, but... Was he really strong enough to do that to Nappa..? "You have no idea how protective he is of you..." the elder sighed "Honestly, back when I was training him, all I had to do was mention you being hurt and his power seemed to double..." Kakarot looked down at his feet as they continued to walk. Wow... He couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face. The fact that his brother cared so much about him made him more than happy. Really, now the young Saiyan was determined to improve so he could protect his big brother as well!

"And here we are" Kakarot tore his gaze away from the ground and looked around. They were in some sort of clearing. The only exit was the small path that they took to get here, but other than that, they were in a secluded area, just like Nappa said. The elder Saiyan lifted his hand up to his head. He quickly pulled away and Kakarot saw the dark blue diamond-shaped soul gem. After that, it only took a second for the elder to be fully transformed into a Saiyan, Kakarot noted. He lifted his hand up and made the soul gem appear over his middle finger. "Before you transform..." he heard the elder say "Answer me this – how long does it usually take?"

Kakarot blinked at the question. "U-Uh... I dunno... Ten seconds, maybe..?" the elder chuckled at that "What, do you go through the whole transformation sequence?" Confused, the younger nodded. He understood that it took up time, but he didn't know how to shorten it... Nappa sighed and shook his head "I figured that Raditz would've taught you how to transform quickly, but I guess I was wrong..." he then looked at Kakarot and his tone changed from relaxed to stern and serious "You need to learn how to skip the whole sequence, Kakarot. Not only does it take up time and could get you killed, it also wastes more magic." "Oh..." he looked down. Then, a question popped into his head. A question his brother never answered...

"N-Nappa, sir...? C-can you tell me what happens when a Saiyan's soul gem turns black..?" the elder's eyes widened as he stared at Kakarot, shocked "You don't know?!" "No... Onii-chan never told me... A-And he always avoided the question when I asked..." Kakarot said. He was surprised at Nappa's reaction – was it really that bad..? The man stared at him for a while. Then he finally let out a sigh as he spoke "When a Saiyan uses up all his magic... And his soul gem turns black..." he looked to the side, almost as if struggling to find the words to say what he wanted to "The gem shatters and the Saiyan dies" he said, flatly.

"O-Oh..." Kakarot looked down at his soul gem. When fully cleaned, it was bright and yellow. But now it was a slightly darker color than usual and he could see faint black clouds here and there. He paled slightly and gulped. He didn't want to die..! "Your soul gem's fine, kid, you don't need to worry about that" he heard Nappa reassure him. Kakarot nodded, but continued to tremble slightly. "S-So... how do I transform quickly...?"

"Well, instead of summoning the soul gem from your ring like you did just now, you try to make it appear on your body instantly, and let the magic do its thing from there" "O-okay..." Kakarot gulped as he made the gem go back into the ring. He placed his hand over his stomach, where it was supposed to appear. "It's okay if you don't get it right on the first try" the elder said "These things take time. There's no need to rush" Kakarot gave the other a slight smile "T-thank you..." he muttered. He took a deep breath as he tried to focus and do as he was told.

Suddenly, he felt magic pooling over his stomach. He instinctively pulled his hand away. The orange fabric had teared and there was a yellow circular gem over his belly-button. Instantly magic began flooding from it and before Kakarot could register what was going on, he was already transformed. "I..." he gasped "I did it..!" "Congrats, kid" Nappa chuckled "Now, tell me, how does your weapon work?" "Oh... Umm..."

Without any issues, Kakarot summoned his double-edged sword in his hand and lifted it up "I-I use swords, a-and I can summon more than one at a time..." "Ah, no wonder Raditz said your powers are so different..." Nappa stated. Kakarot tilted his head, confused slightly "E-eh? Why is that?" "Well..." the elder sighed as he summoned two rifles in his hands. Lifting them up, he spoke "Raditz can only summon one spear at a time. Trust me, he's tried to change that, but his magic just doesn't work like that. Me and you, on the other hand..." Kakarot then watched in awe as the rifles broke down into chains and instantly reformed into two canons. "Our type of magic lets us summon many weapons and reshape them at our will"

Kakarot's jaw dropped at that statement. "I-I can't do that!" he shouted. To prove his point, he summoned another sword "I can summon more than one, yeah, b-but I can't make them bigger! I can barely keep those platforms I can make from disappearing!" Nappa raised an eyebrow at this. Dropping the canons, which then shattered into blue dust as soon as they hit the ground, he asked "It's not that you can't do those things, Kakarot, you're just inexperienced and in need of training. Let's start off with those platforms of yours. What's the problem with them?"

"I... don't really know..." Kakarot looked away, feeling embarrassed "S-sometimes I can make them appear without any trouble, but other times they won't, no matter how much I try to focus..." "I see..." the other said, thoughtfully. He then crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly "Alright then, make one" "E-eh?" "Just make a platform and stand on it. Simple as that. I have a theory as to why you're having trouble, and I want to see if it's correct..." "U-um... O-okay..?" Kakarot was a bit confused, but he complied.

He jumped up as high as he could and made a platform for him to land on. "Um... H-here it is..?" he said, still confused. He walked around a bit, making more yellow circular platforms so he would stay a few inches up in the air. "Alright, alright..." Nappa said, thoughtfully, as Kakarot jumped down. "One more thing..." Kakarot tilted his head _"Eh? What more could he possible need me to do?"_ Before he could ask, a dark blue ribbon attached itself to the young Saiyan's leg. He saw Nappa take off into the air, dragging the boy along with him. In a matter of seconds, Kakarot was hanging upside-down in the air, and all he could do was let out a scream of pure terror as he gazed down at the ground. He knew that if he was to fall, he would undoubtedly die.

"Make a platform to stop yourself from falling!" he heard Nappa shout at him. Suddenly, the ribbon that was holding his leg and keeping him hostage let go. And Kakarot began falling. His first instinct was to scream, but he quickly got ahold of himself and tried to focus. But it was exactly like yesterday – no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, his magic wouldn't listen to him! There were only a few feet left! He was gonna die! Kakarot closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact.

But it never came. Instead, he opened his eyes and noted that the same blue ribbons had restrained his whole body and were keeping him from falling. Kakarot gulped - if he could move his hand, he could easily touch the ground. "Well, that settles it" he noticed Nappa floating in front of him, arms still folded "When faced with certain death, you start to panic and lose focus" he stated as he let the ribbons place Kakarot on the ground. His legs were still trembling and he collapsed.

After panting for a few moments, he managed to look up at the blue Saiyan "P-Please don't scare me like that again..." the other chuckled at that "Hate to break it to you, Kakarot, but I'm afraid I'll need to do much worse than that in order to get that fear out of you..." the young boy could feel the color draining from his face as he started shaking "L-like what...?" he questioned. And then instantly regretted it as he watched in pure terror how the elder made a rifle appear in his hand and pointed it at Kakarot. "Like fighting you" he said flatly.

Kakarot could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up when he saw the elder pulling the trigger. Fueled on pure adrenaline, the young Saiyan dodged the bullet as he rolled to the side. He instantly stood up, only to see another rifle pointed at him. Just a quick glance at the stern look on Nappa's face proved to the younger that this was serious. He dodged another bullet at summoned two swords. He gulped. He wasn't sure how to deal with this... He's never been in a battle against another Saiyan before...

"C'mon, kid..." Nappa growled, obviously getting annoyed, pointing another riffle at the young Saiyan "You're not gonna get any better by just running away from me!" he fired, and this time Kakarot was ready to fight back. He lifted his sword up to block the bullet with the blade. He managed to deflect it, but not before almost falling down from the impact it made. He quickly shook off the feeling and threw one of the swords at the elder. Nappa, of course, took a step to the side, easily avoiding the blade. But Kakarot expected this to happen. _"Let's see if he'll able to dodge_ _ **this**_ _!"_ he knew that he didn't have the time to summon four swords around him - he'll just have to make them up as he went along, he guessed.

"KA...!" he threw a sword at the elder and without even waiting, he summoned another one and threw it as well. "ME...! HA...! ME...!" of course, Nappa easily dodged all four, but Kakarot had no time to worry about it as he jump back and bounced off of the platform behind him "HA!" he dashed forward. The elder Saiyan only laughed as he stepped aside, making the younger miss by a mile "You call THAT a special attack?!" Kakarot growled to himself at the teasing, but a part of him was glad that he managed to land somewhat gracefully. Instantly he spun around and threw the fifth sword. But the elder was nowhere to be seen.

Kakarot looked around, panicking. "THIS is a special attack!" he heard a voice from up above. The younger's head snapped back. His eyes widened at the amount of riffles Nappa had pointed at him. "Giant Storm!" and they began firing. Kakarot felt the same terror almost paralyze him. But he shook his head and angrily thought to himself _"No! I'm a Saiyan! I want to actually HELP Onii-chan while hunting!"_ his eyes snapped open and he jumped up as high as he could and landed on a platform, narrowly missing the bullets.

He was about to throw a sword at Nappa, but the elder in question shot the platform underneath his feet. It crumbled and Kakarot began falling again. _"No! I'm not gonna die here!"_ doing a front flip in the air, Kakarot landed on a new platform. He glared up at the elder Saiyan and shouted "I'M NOT LETTING YOU WIN THAT EASILY!" he gripped his sword and was about to throw it, but, to his surprise, Nappa let out a laugh. Not a menacing or an evil one, but a genuine one. "Well look who just managed to get past his fear of dying!"

"E-eh?" Kakarot blinked, confused slightly. Realization hit him and his eyes widened. He looked down. He... He did it! He managed to stop himself from falling! "You really are Raditz's little brother..." Nappa's chuckling brought him back to reality. "I had to pretend to fight him on the first day too..." "P-pretend...?" "Well no shit" the elder laughed "You didn't think I was actually putting in any effort, did you?" Kakarot went pale once again. Oh boy, no wonder Raditz called Nappa one of the strongest Saiyans he knew...

"How's it going, you two?!" he suddenly heard his brother's voice bellow them. He glanced down and saw that his brother had arrived. "Onii-chan!" Kakarot smiled and jumped off. He immediately ran off to hug him, almost tackling Raditz to the ground "I did it! I learned how to make those platforms whenever I want! A-and I also learned how to transform without that whole flashy sequence!" he said excitedly. His brother only laughed as he ruffled his hair. "That's great, Carrot! I knew you could do it!" Kakarot blushed slightly at the statement. His brother was proud of him! He was actually proud of him! He couldn't stop smiling at this point, honestly.

"He's got potential, Raditz" he heard Nappa say "He got a hang of things pretty quickly. Not as fast as you did, but still" Kakarot's face was completely red at this point. He wasn't used to people complimenting him so much... "I'd say we're done here" glancing back, he saw that Nappa had transformed back to normal "Same time tomorrow, Kakarot?" the youngest Saiyan nodded "Y-Yeah... T-thank you, by the way..." he pulled away from his brother and smiled at him "Don't mention it. I do these types of things regularly" Nappa waved it off.

After transforming back to normal (without any problems this time, he might add!), Kakarot looked at his brother, smiling "Are we going home now?" he asked. Raditz nodded and glanced at Nappa "You coming with us?" "Yeah, I guess. I'm heading the same way, so I guess I'll tag along" the three Saiyans walked out of the junkyard, and Kakarot was a bit taken aback at how different Nappa seemed to be when not in Saiyan form. Instead of the serious and menacing man he had just fought, the one walking behind them was laughing and being friendly...

"So I know Raditz is a waiter, but what do you do, Kakarot? You in the seventh grade now or something like that?" "O-Oh... I-I actually dropped out of school when dad died..." Kakarot said, still not used to this personality switch "I'm a freelance painter, actually" "Really?" Nappa seemed surprised at this "Huh, who would've guessed..." he muttered to himself. Kakarot tilted his head, slightly offended "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing! I just didn't think you were the artistic type..." the young Saiyan frowned and looked away, puffing his cheeks. "Oh come on now, Carrot" his brother laughed "He's just teasing" "Wow, you weren't kidding when you called him childish, Raditz" Nappa laughed "Well, he is my baby brother, after all" Raditz joined in.

Pouting, Kakarot was about to state that he was not a little kid, but someone called out to them. "Nappa! Raditz!" he looked forward and saw that the one who was calling them was a girl. She was smiling and waving at them. He instantly noticed the guy who was holding her hand. Kakarot blinked at how similar the two were... Even down to wearing matching outfits... _"Twins...?"_ he guessed. His elder brother whistled "Well look who it is!" he smirked "I'm pretty sure Nappa isn't too thrilled with you two in his territory" Kakarot blinked _"They're Saiyans, too?!"_

The girl just giggled after the pair stopped in front of the trio "We are not hunting, silly!" she then smiled and lifted the bag she was holding in her free hand "There is a really nice book store here, so we decided to go for a walk today~" the girl then looked at Kakarot and gave him a warm smile "You are Kakarot, correct?" the young boy was honestly confused. How do so many people know his name?! "Y-yeah..." "Nice to finally meet you!" she then gestured to the spikey-haired guy next to her. He seemed to be really disinterested in the conversation as he stared off to the side "This is my brother, Vegeta, and I am Saiya"

"These two used to help me out back when I was still new at being a Saiyan" Raditz informed the younger brother. That made sense how they knew one another, at least... The girl named Saiya glanced over to her brother and elbowed him, getting his attention. Vegeta sighed as he pulled one earphone out "What?" he asked flatly. Kakarot could faintly hear music comic from it. _"No wonder he didn't react to anything we said..."_ he thought.

She then said something to him. Kakarot tilted his head, confused. That... wasn't Japanese... Not even close..! He listened to them quickly exchange words in that strange language. Finally Vegeta looked at Raditz and he asked "So is he going to join us in the battle against Frieza or what?" Kakarot saw the color drain from his brother's face as he stared at the other Saiyan in shock. "W-what...?" he whispered "You heard me." The young boy was surprised at how cold and... emotionless Vegeta's voice seemed to be. He then raised an eyebrow "Or have you not told him yet?" "I-I... N-no, but-" "Then get to it." Vegeta cut in as he stuck the earphone back in.

Saiya sighed and looked at them "Sorry about that, Raditz... You know how Vegeta can be" she gave him an apologetic smile. "It's okay..." his brother sighed "He had to find out some day..." Kakarot tilted his head, confused. What were they talking about...? "Well then, hope to see you soon!" Saiya said in the same cheerful tone and the twins then walked past them. Nappa let out a sigh "Sucks to be you, Raditz" he chuckled "Shut it..." his brother's voice lacked the usual energy.

The walk back home was silent and full of tension. They had said goodbye to Nappa a few blocks back when they got back to their apartment. "O-Onii-chan...?" Kakarot asked. "W-what were they talking about back there..?" his brother let out a sigh as he sat down on their living-room sofa. "Frieza is a very powerful demon that's supposed to appear on the 23rd..." he leaned back as he ran his hand through his hair "I thought that if I didn't mention it to you... I'd manage to keep you safe..."

His brother looked up at him, a sad look on his face "I'm gonna go fight it, Carrot... Me, Nappa, Saiya and Vegeta are gonna try and defeat it..." "Then I'm coming too!" Kakarot announced. Before his brother could say anything, he continued "Let me help, Onii-chan! Please! I can help! I know I can!" to his surprise, his brother only sighed "Are you sure...? You'd have to train like crazy to even stand a chance at surviving against that demon..." Kakarot smiled and nodded "I can do that! I'm not gonna be weak anymore, Onii-chan! I promise!" his brother only let out a sad chuckle "If you say so, Carrot..."


	4. The Tale of Kakarot 3

**Ha... I should really try to update more frequently...**

"HRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kakarot let out a battle cry as he dashed through the air, swinging his sword and striking down the familiars that tried to stop him on his mission to destroy the demon of the labyrinth. When he felt he was starting to fall from losing too much momentum, he managed to land on a flying desk after performing a front-flip in mid-air. Kakarot couldn't help but grin at the thought of how cool he must've looked at that moment. Shakily he stood up, noting how unstable this desk was. Well, it was floating in mid-air...

The young Saiyan looked around the labyrinth, trying to find any type of weakness or way of attacking the demon. If he wasn't in the middle of a battle, he would actually feel nostalgic at the scenery, he thought. It reminded him of school - all the school desks and chairs that were floating around, the clothes lines with school girl uniforms hanging on them, not to mention the minions and the demon itself... Kakarot actually felt uncomfortable staring at it... The figure was wearing a typical Japanese schoolgirl outfit, but with hands coming out from the skirt instead of legs...

Shaking his head to take away the unpleasant thoughts, the Saiyan gripped his sword and jumped onto the closest clothes' line and started running towards the demon. He summoned another sword in his other hand as soon as he saw new familiars emerging from under the demon's skirt, which appeared to be the lower halves of schoolgirl bodies. Without much trouble, Kakarot spun and swung his swords at the minions, killing them one after the other.

No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the grin off of his face. He had never had this much fun in his whole entire life! He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, giving him more energy than ever before. Honestly, sneaking off to the East district to fight demons by himself was the best decision he'd ever made. He really didn't get why his brother was so against him coming here... Well, he was really weak those couple of weeks ago compared to now...

Kakarot snapped out of his thoughts when he saw one of the demon's hands reaching towards him. He smirked and jumped up, avoiding the grab. Landing on the wrist, he began running up the arm. He felt his face burn bright red when he realized that he was about the go under the skirt. Stopping just the above the elbow – or was this the knee...? – Kakarot began throwing swords towards its... well... the young Saiyan tried not to think about that.

The demon suddenly let out a shriek in pain and began convulsing. For a moment Kakarot thought that he had succeeded, but then he was swarmed with its minions. One of them kicked him off of the limb and the Saiyan began falling. He quickly reoriented himself and landed on a bright yellow circular platform he made. He glared at the demon. It wasn't shaking anymore and seemed to be growing more aggressive. Gripping his sword, Kakarot glanced down. The demon's barrier was up in the sky, he couldn't even see the ground. He gulped. He didn't want to know what would happen to him if he were to fall.

The Saiyan wanted to try and attack the demon again, but the minions had grown more aggressive and he couldn't even get near it anymore. With having to defend himself as well as attack the familiars, not to mention needing to form new platforms every time he tried to get away, Kakarot could feel his magic draining and the adrenaline fading away. He came to the terrifying realization that he was getting tired. Breathing deeply, he gripped his sword and glared at the demon. _"Okay...This might've been a bad idea..."_

Just as he reached for a grief seed to try again, he saw a flash of pink and white and a bunch of arrows rain down onto the demon. He noticed a girl land on one of the clothes' lines, taking aim at the large figure with her bow, ready to shoot another arrow. He realized she was another Saiyan, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he'd seen her somewhere before... After shooting another pink arrow at the demon, she glared at the young Saiyan "Kakarot! What are you doing in our territory?!" he blinked in realization – that was Saiya! But... where was her brother...?

"Did Raditz not tell you about all this?" Kakarot jumped and spun around and saw Vegeta standing on one of the floating desks, his hands in his pockets. The young Saiyan couldn't help but notice how... disinterested the other seemed to be. "U-um..." he blushed at his own stuttering. He gulped, trying to calm himself down "H-he did, b-but... I-I wanted t-to try and get better, s-so..." he heard the other sigh. "Never mind, we can talk about this later" Vegeta looked over at the demon, the same bored expression on his face "Leave this to us" and then he disappeared.

Confused, Kakarot blinked and suddenly stumbled forward, a huge, deafening explosion going off behind him. He looked back at the demon and was too confused to even try to join in on the fight. He understood what Saiya was doing – she was using a bow to summon arrows made of magic to attack the demon. But what was Vegeta doing..? Kakarot saw explosions going off and the other Saiyan constantly teleporting from place to place, his hands still in his pockets. What was his magic, exactly...?

He continued to watch, almost mesmerized, until finally the demon let out a shriek as it was engulfed in flames. Kakarot saw Saiya deliver one final arrow that pierced through its chest, killing it. The young Saiyan lifted his arms in front of his face to try and shield himself from the huge gust of wind. He felt the labyrinth evaporate and found himself standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city. Kakarot saw Vegeta pick up the grief seed and Saiya turn to the youngest in the group, visibly annoyed.

Kakarot couldn't help but notice the almost stereotypical pink magical girl outfit Saiya was wearing. She even had pink ribbons in her hair... The only odd thing was the corset that seemed to accentuate her... chest region. Kakarot blushed and looked away from the other Saiyan, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under her glare. He also noted the shield on Vegeta's right arm. "Kakarot!" he jumped slightly at the sudden outburst. Gulping down his fear, said Saiyan look up at the female "Y-yes...?"

"What were you thinking, going off on your own like that?! You could have been killed!" he heard genuine concern in her voice. This made Kakarot calm down a little – at least she wasn't furious with him... She was just worried. The young Saiyan did his best to respond without his voice wavering "B-But I could've handled it! I had a grief seed ready! A-and I know that I could've just run away if I had to..." Saiya let out a sigh. She then tilted her head and put her hand on her chest, giving the other a sad look. Kakarot immediately noticed the pink Soul Gem on her right hand. It seemed to be... Half of the Ying Yang symbol..? Did that mean that Vegeta's Soul Gem was the other part?

"That is not what I meant, Kakarot..." her sad tone snapped him out of his thoughts "Did your brother not tell you about the East? How the Saiyans here are very aggressive?" she frowned "What if someone else found you over here?! The only reason we did not kill you is because we know you!" the young Saiyan felt a cold shiver run down his back "Y-you're kidding..." he let out a forced laugh, trying to calm down "T-there's no way Saiyans kill each other because of something as silly as territories, right..?" his hopes were shattered as soon as he saw Vegeta shake his head.

"That is exactly what would have happened, unfortunately..." he sighed and scratched the back of his head "If someone else, other than Saiya and myself, had found you, they would have killed you right on the spot. Consider yourself lucky that we felt merciful." Kakarot gulped. He couldn't help but notice the strange speech patterns of the twins... Have they not heard of contractions..? "I-I'm sorry..." was all that he managed to say as he looked at the ground. He felt terrible, he really did. He didn't even want to think what Raditz would've done if he had died... "I-I just thought that... since Frieza's gonna arrive soon... I just... I wanted to get stronger, you know...?"

"To be fair, you have grown stronger." Kakarot's head snapped back up as he looked at Vegeta in disbelief. "The rate at which you have improved is impressive, considering how little time you have had." "U-umm... T-thank you...?" the youngest of the group wasn't sure how to respond. He just received a compliment, didn't he...? Vegeta's dry tone threw him off... He realized that the other male still looked disinterested... It was almost frightening how emotionless he seemed to be.

"Anyway, you had better get back home. Raditz must be worried sick." Vegeta looked down at the grief seed in his hand and, after a moment of silence, threw it at the younger Saiyan "Here. You will need as much magic as possible for the battle." Kakarot (luckily) managed to catch it. "U-um... O-okay...?" he couldn't think of anything else to say. In the back of his mind he made a mental not to ask his brother if he knew anything more about these twins... Maybe then he'd feel less uncomfortable around them...

He saw Vegeta grab Saiya's hand as she looked at Kakarot one last time. She smiled and waved slightly "Have a nice night, Kakarot!" said Saiyan only managed to blink before the twins disappeared. Confused, he looked around. He tried to sense if they were anywhere close. Not able to feel any magic around him, he let out a sigh and pocketed the grief seed. Although it was night and he knew few people left their homes at this time of day, especially given the weather this week, he decided he'd better get back home by jumping on rooftops.

He was glad that in his Saiyan form he was much faster – he'd be home in no time. He let out a sigh in relief _"At least Onii-chan's asleep..."_ when Raditz came home and passed out on the couch, Kakarot almost had a panic attack, but when he heard the snoring, he figured the other just passed out from exhaustion. Constantly working and then going off hunting, all while making sure Kakarot had everything he needed... No wonder he was getting tired. He hoped that his brother could rest up for the battle against Frieza. Then again, the weather has been particularly bad lately – the wind was cold, it was almost constantly raining - even now Kakarot could hear thunder and the usual starry sky was blocked by dark clouds. Maybe the restaurant Raditz worked at wouldn't be as busy...

Kakarot sighed _"Today's the 21_ _st_ _... and Frieza arrives on the 23_ _rd_ _..."_ he frowned as he landed near his home. Making sure nobody could see him, he transformed back, shivering uncomfortably as the usual warmth of the Saiyan form left his body. He clung onto his brown jacket. Why was it so cold at the end of June? Maybe it had something to do with Frieza's arrival... He recalled his brother saying something about that... While walking up the steps to the apartment building, he let out a sigh as he glanced at the grief seed he held in his hand "Not that much time left..." he mused.

* * *

Kakarot was practically shaking as he tightened his grip around his jacket "W-why is it so cold?!" his teeth were chattering as he and his brother walked down the streets. He had to shout over the wind for the other to even hear him. He was almost finding it difficult to walk because of it, too... "From what Vegeta's told me, Frieza's arrival causes the weather to act all weird..." Raditz told him after the wind had died down just enough for them to have a normal conversation. Kakarot frowned – how did Vegeta know that...? He was just about to ask his brother that, but then he noticed something... off... "It's snowing?!" he gasped.

He wasn't sure what shocked him more, the snow in late June or how his brother didn't seem surprised at all "Yup... Vegeta mentioned how this demon likes the cold... So, just before its arrival, it begins to snow..." Kakarot frowned at how serious his brother seemed to be... It wasn't like him at all... He let out a sigh _"Guess this really is that serious..."_ The two continued to walk in silence. Well, silence probably wasn't the right word... They weren't talking, sure, but the wind was making a lot of noise, not to mention the distant chanting- wait, chanting?!

Kakarot tore his gaze from the ground, confused, and looked forward. His eyes widened – he saw silhouettes of what seemed to be soldiers, but they weren't human...! He took his hand out of his pocked and was about to summon his soul gem, but his brother placed a hand over his own. "They're just here to announce Frieza's arrival... Until it arrives, they won't attack us" Raditz explained, glaring at the familiars. Kakarot only nodded as he watched the minions march past them "Did Vegeta tell you that too?" "Yeah... Apparently he's been gathering up information about Frieza so we'd have a better chance of killing it..." "Oh..." Kakarot frowned.

"Are we already in its labyrinth, then...?" he asked. Raditz only shook his head as they continued to walk, the monotonous chanting in a language he couldn't understand surrounding them "This demon's so powerful that no labyrinth can contain it..." was all that he said. Kakarot could see the city park in the distance. He knew that Frieza was supposed to appear at that place... "Hey..." the young Saiyan looked at his brother, curious about one little thing... "If we're supposed to keep the world of magic a secret from humans... Shouldn't we be doing something about the familiars, then..?" he saw his brother smile at him slightly "Nah, not in this case. Humans can't see familiars unless they've entered a labyrinth" "Ah..." Suddenly Raditz stopped walking and looked up. Kakarot followed his gaze and quickly realized what his brother had in mind. It was time.

Kakarot placed his hand over his stomach and felt the magic run through him. In a matter of seconds, the two Saiyans were standing, transformed, and ready for battle. He grabbed his brother's outstretched hand and, feeling as light as air, jumped onto the same building the two brothers were looking at just a moment before. Kakarot looked at the usually lively park, which now seemed much more cold and uninviting. He noticed how tightly his brother was holding onto his spear. The younger of the two gently placed his hand over his brother's, giving him a comforting smile. Kakarot's heart felt lighter when his brother smiled back, seemingly calmed down. "Let's go. The others are probably waiting for us" Raditz said and jumped off the roof, dashing towards their destination. Taking a deep breath and tightening the grip around his swords, Kakarot followed suit.

He smiled when he saw Nappa standing on one of the buildings. His brother got there first and after a few moments Kakarot landed next to him. The eldest of the group let out a sigh as he stomped out a cigarette. The young Saiyan frowned. He hated the smell of smoke... "What do you think our chances of winning are...?" Raditz asked, looking at the darkening sky with a frown. "Practically zero..." Nappa let out a bitter chuckle, which made Kakarot frown "Hey! You can't think like that!" he smirked "We can win, I know we can! You just gotta stay positive!" "Kinda hard to 'stay positive' when you're facing against the most powerful demon in existence..." Nappa growled.

Kakarot looked to the ground, disappointed, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. So what if it's the most powerful demon? That's no reason to give up without even trying! His grip on his sword tightened as he gazed up to the air. The clouds were dark and seemed to be forming numerous circles. He could hear thunder and see lightning. The wind was growing stronger and louder every minute. It was making his head spin... "Ah, I see everyone is here. Perfect!" Kakarot heard Saiya's voice behind them. He turned and indeed he saw the twins, ready for battle as well. Vegeta looked up at the sky, a scowl on his face. "Be ready." was all he said before Kakarot's head almost split open from the pain he felt.

He dropped his sword and grabbed his head, groaning in pain. He couldn't hear anything except the ringing in his ears. Starting to tear up, Kakarot looked up and his eyes widened in fear. The clouds parted as a demon descended. He suddenly felt a huge gust of energy and almost collapsed there on the spot. The power of that thing... was overwhelming! Suddenly the structure beneath him gave way. It took him too long to realize that the buildings closest to the demon were beginning to crumble. His first instinct was to create a platform to keep himself from falling, but the splitting headache was distracting him. Just as he felt the cold fingers of fear around him, his brother grabbed his arm "Kakarot! Platform! NOW!" he screamed. Kakarot quickly shook his head to try and shake away the nausea. Grabbing onto Raditz to keep himself from panicking, the young Saiyan formed a large golden platform under their feet as the building they were standing on just moments ago crumbled.

The only thing he could hear was the laughter of the floating demon. Kakarot was shaking in fear – he now understood why the others were so pessimistic... There was just no way they could beat something so powerful! They were gonna die, there's no other way! "KAKAROT!" he flinched at his brother's yelling. He looked up at him only to see that the other's eyes were also glistening with tears and he even noticed blood trickling from his ears. Raditz seemed... concerned... "Listen, if this is too much for you to handle..." he looked away. Kakarot barely managed to make out what he was saying over the wind and ringing in his ears. "You can go back home and leave this to us. We'll handle it..." this part, however, he heard perfectly.

"No way!" Kakarot screamed, offended so much so that he pushed the elder away "I'm not leaving you here! I-I can still fight! I'm a Saiyan too, you know!" he felt determined to at least try to contribute to the battle against the demon. Really, the only reason he lost control of his magic for a second was because he was startled! He didn't expect the demon to make his eardrums burst... Or give him such a terrible headache and make his eyes tear up... But that wasn't a problem – his magic was already healing him, so he knew he could still fight! To prove his point, Kakarot summoned two swords in his hands, glaring up at the elder. There was no way he was going home!

"Are you two done yet?!" he heard Nappa yelling at them. Kakarot saw his hand over his ear, probably trying to heal himself quicker. He already had a shotgun in his hand, ready to attack the demon. Raditz sighed and glared at the demon, avoiding eye contact with his younger brother as his grip on his spear visibly tightened "Yeah... Let's just get this over with..." with that the elder dashed off the platform to fight the familiars down below. Kakarot closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself down. _"This is just a regular fight... Only difference is that it's really strong... But other than that, everything's exactly the same! You can kill demons! You can do this!"_ a smirk on his face, he opened his eyes again. He was about to jump down, but he noticed something else...

Before he had any chance to react, he was punched in the gut by one of the familiars. Kakarot could only hear the constant chanting and laughing as the grip on his swords loosened, he coughed up blood and started falling towards the debris below. He continued coughing, the copper taste in his mouth familiar, but uncomfortable and not welcomed. The Saiyan managed to save himself from falling by landing on a new platform. He quickly got back on his feet, wiped the blood off his chin and glared up at the minions of the demon. He saw a few more charging towards him on the ground. Kakarot smirked, conjuring a new sword in his right hand. Without a second thought, he dashed towards the familiars.

When he was close enough, he swung the sword, slicing through the familiar effortlessly. His smirk vanished instantly and he stumbled back when he saw blood spewing out and heard its inhuman screech of pain. That never happened before... Sure, Kakarot would hear the familiars chanting and they would ooze strangely colored liquids... But this?! Wait... These familiars... They look almost... Human..?! They had silhouettes that resembled them, but the weapons they were holding... _"A-are these... Saiyans...?"_ his knees began to tremble. This wasn't right...

Another silhouette charged at him. Acting on pure instinct, Kakarot dodged and swung his sword, effortlessly slicing through it. The Saiyan watched in horror as the two pieces of the other fall to the ground, melting into a pile of purple, dark blue and red mush. He didn't have any time to recover from the possible murder when he was attacked again. _"They're just familiars... They're just minions of that demon...! I-I'm supposed to kill them...! T-They're not real people!"_ he tried to reassure himself as he continued to slice and dice and occasionally block and dodge the attacks.

These weren't at all like the other familiars he'd fought before... Not only were they wielding actual weapons like swords, knives and spears, they were almost sentient...! He felt as if he was in an actual battle against a group of other Saiyans. He was using two swords – one to attack and one to defend – but even then he was having a lot of trouble. Only a few minutes had passed since the demon appeared, but Kakarot was already covered in blood and cuts. Of course, his magic was hard at work healing him. He was making progress, at least... As in he could see he was getting closer to the demon itself...

He could hear it laughing constantly. It made him both annoyed and sick – the sound was resonating non-stop in his head... Kakarot also took note that the ground had basically turned to ice. _"A storm and a blizzard... Yeah, typical summer weather..."_ he thought bitterly as he continued to make his way towards the demon. He was glad his scarf kept him warm... He noticed this a while ago – this soft article of clothing actually did have a purpose, since it kept his body temperature stable. The young Saiyan tried his best to ignore the blood on him, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't even blood. Unfortunately it didn't work as well as he'd hope.

He fought back the urge to vomit. The enormous amount of magic coming from the demon was making the Saiyan's head spin, but he persevered. He sighed in relief when he managed to use a grief seed – he didn't even realize his Soul Gem was that clouded already... Just a quick glance at the black item in his hand told him that he couldn't use it anymore. He gulped and dashed forward, killing the familiars slowly but surely. He was constantly glancing at the demon, waiting for any sort of opening. It was strange how the horned demon, which was also mostly white with a bit of purple, wasn't moving and only sitting in that weird floating throne...

He couldn't beat it, he knew that. It wasn't hard to accept that fact, but that didn't mean Kakarot was going to give up. If he couldn't beat Frieza, he could at least weaken it somewhat. He took a deep breath – it was now or never, he decided. He couldn't risk his Soul Gem darkening too much, especially since he was out of grief seeds... Well, he had more at home, but he forgot to bring them... He only realized that when he was halfway to the park, but he couldn't bear telling his brother that...

Without much hesitation, the young Saiyan used his magic to form platforms which acted like stairs so he could start running up towards the demon. Kakarot continued to kill the familiars that crossed his path. His plan was to get high enough so he could try and throw as many swords as he could at its head. It was the most common weakness of the demons, so why not give it a shot? He let out a quick sigh of relief when he reached his destination. Immediately he threw a sword at the head. While summoning a new one, he threw the one he was holding in his other hand. Summon. Throw. Summon Throw. He smiled slightly to himself when he saw the demon begin to shake. At least he was doing _some_ damage!

He suddenly remembered Nappa mentioning something about his powers... Apparently the younger should be able to break down his sword to make it much bigger. "Well, no time like the present...!" he breathed. While throwing the swords he still had to defend himself from the familiars attacking him, which often included him jumping off the current platform and making a new one. Combined with his magic healing him constantly, he felt his magic draining fast. He needed to try and attack now. After that he'd try to quickly meet up with his brother to maybe borrow some grief seeds. His stomach was hurting... Breathing heavily, Kakarot quickly jumped back and bounced off a platform, his sword pointed at the demon. _"Just deconstruct it and-!"_

He didn't even manage to finish his thoughts when he was hit by a large gust of magic. He was immediately sent flying back. His mind couldn't register anything but the pain he felt as he smashed though buildings. The hard concrete broke his bones and the glass pierced his skin. The Saiyan didn't even manage to let out a scream in pain when he finally collided with the ground. When he opened his eyes, he only saw dust and the occasional snowflake. He tried to stand up, but quickly collapsed. He couldn't feel anything but pain. Wait... Why was it going black...? Was that his brother calling out for him..?

* * *

"Ugh..." Kakarot groaned and opened his eyes. His head was pounding. Pain. The only thing he felt at that moment was pain. The only thing he saw was red. Wait... Red..? Wasn't it grey before...? Ah, he heard fire crackling. No wonder it was so hot... Ugh, smoke... Disgusting. The Saiyan closed his eyes tightly and tried his best to stand up. He screamed in pain and quickly collapsed. He was sure almost every bone in his body was broken... Why didn't his magic heal him..? Ah... His Soul Gem was black... That explained the pain in his stomach.

Kakarot felt cold tears streaming down his cheeks. He smiled sadly to himself. "H-Hahah... Guess this is what I get for being so stupid, huh...?" he wondered aloud. "I-If only I-I didn't forget about those damned grief seeds..." he sobbed. The pain was unbearable. It reminded him of when he made the contract... "I-If only I-I'd listened to y-you... W-why... Why was I so stupid..?! I-I should've never made that contract...!" Through his tears he thought he saw something in the distance. A black shape... It was growing larger...

Ah. It was a building. The demon was using its magic to throw a whole building at the Saiyan. With what little strength he had left, Kakarot lifted his right hand to touch the now black circular Soul Gem on his stomach. His gloves were torn and his fingertips grazed the cracks. He let out a sad chuckle as he watched the shape grow, accepting his inevitable death. "H-heh... S-sorry, Nii-chan... I-I guess... I really wasn't strong enough..."

His Soul Gem shattered. The only thing Kakarot felt was grief.

 **Bad End.**


End file.
